He was most known for formulating the Peccei–Quinn theory (with Helen Quinn), which attempts to resolve the strong CP problem in particle physics.
[6] He completed his secondary school in Argentina, and came to the United States in 1958 to pursue his university studies in physics.
[6][8][9] In 1978, he returned to Europe as a staff member of the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany.
He joined the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) Laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, as the head of the Theoretical Group in 1984.
He also was a member of the visiting committee for the Department of Physics at MIT and was the convener of the vice chancellor for Research Council in the University of California.